


The Neo City Times

by stayarmytinyzenmoa_l



Series: Locked and Reloaded [3]
Category: NCT, NCT Dream
Genre: Locked and Reloaded
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:55:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29307627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stayarmytinyzenmoa_l/pseuds/stayarmytinyzenmoa_l
Summary: Summary: The Neo City Times is a horribly underfunded newspaper agency that is based above a 7-Eleven and sports six employees, three reporters, two editors, and a bureau chief. With their company slowly going bankrupt, they decide to set their sights on the, at the time, unknown group that referred tp themselves as the Maverick. Taking gambles was always apart of the business, and this news agency wanted to be the ones first on the trail of what they predicted to be the next big thing.(Just a bit of world-building here, reveals things that probably won't be mentioned in the main story line)
Relationships: None
Series: Locked and Reloaded [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152581
Kudos: 2





	The Neo City Times

##  **The Maverick: Friend or Foe?! A New Group Rises to Power, and the Government Doesn’t Know How to React!**

> **_Following a dispute between the Underground and their clients in West Lovecraft, unlikely heroes appear._ **

_By Xiao Dejun, Kim Yerim, and Kim Doyoung_

_September 19, 2019_

The date was June 5th of 2019, the Lovecraft District is no stranger to activities dealing with the Underground, if anything, they’ve become rather common place. It comes as no surprise that people seek to have extra protection, legal or not. These “protections” often come at hefty prices, we’ve heard that the Underground asks for money, objects, and even manpower. Yes, the Underground would stop at nothing to keep their hold on the citizens, and they will be sure to utilize fear above all.

However, this system of fear had a sudden dent done onto it. On the date June 5th of 2019, Underground “Uncle” Jeon Jungkook had been apprehended by a new and mysterious group. We have eye witness accounts from civilians who watched the scene unfold.

“Oh, I definitely recognized three of them, I thought they came to kill us! We wouldn’t have been the first ones to die at their hand, I remember them all too well. They used to be Jeon’s guard dogs! So you can imagine how surprised I was to see them beat the _shit_ out of the guy. Don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful, but I’m so confused!” Says Choi Hansol.

When we probed Choi Hansol to tell us their identities, he only shrugged and said that they only referred to each other through numbers, and no one has seen their faces to this point.

After a bit of research, we found some information on these three members. Although, please note, that by nature of the Underground, many of these sources are based off of oral accounts rather than trustworthy articles.

Number 76-α, ironically referred to as the “calm before the storm,” was Jeon’s scouter, the first wave, if you will. Often times the 76-α would knock out security systems, disable back up protocols, and disrupt supply or reinforcement lines. His role is seemingly the same within this new vigilante group. 76-α displays qualities we can only refer to as mutant, moving faster than the human eye, 76-α has surely knocked down many opponents faster than we can even think.

If 76-α was the “calm,” then 13-α is the “storm.” 13-α was often known to completely tear down forces and break down any barriers in the way of their mission. She could care less for external factors, and according to many people, she’s notoriously mission oriented, removing anything and _anyone_ who will be a hinderance to their assigned mission. 13-α can only be described as a force not worth reckoning with, and many claim that her death count rises even higher than 14-α, who we are about to get elaborate further on.

And of course, we could never leave out the infamous 14-α. With more than a hundred, and allegedly more, deaths to his name, 14-α is what we’d refer to as the ‘Aftermath.’ From our sources we have found that he is often times the one who completes the mission himself. Or, at the very least, he’s someone who will make the final decisions. 14-α has displayed on many occasions a fierce mastery of grimoire magic, a long outlawed form of the magical arts under the Defense of Magic Act of 1889, and one that was strictly enforced.

As for how these three are working now, it is unclear what their actions will be in the future, at the moment it appears that they have broken from the Underground, but we have yet to see if this is a permanent realignment, or even a worse outcome altogether. All we can say is that the citizens residing in the Lovecraft district will, for once, rest easy.

But the action doesn’t stop there, these three newfound vigilantes have been spotted across the city in different districts and neighborhoods. They’ve been spotted and recorded breaking into various Underground bases and known dealings and silencing different members of the Underground’s higher ups one by one, and it would seem that they may be on the side of good. But alternatively, they’ve been cited to rig elections, break into officials’ homes, and rob various government owned establishments. Just what is their purpose? What is their mission? We turned to the public for their opinion.

We gathered responses from every district and every corner to see what is going on, and it would seem that the group has gained a rather cult-like following. People constantly have their phones ready to catch even a glimpse of these masked crusaders and many more await in the safety of the Internet to get updates on who their next target was. It has even gotten to the point where frauds and copycats have begun to take inspiration to the workings of these unknown vigilantes, fake accounts have risen on platforms such as Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube, and everything under that category, but they are soon and, ungracefully, exposed by yet another unseen force. We have yet to confirm if this unknown force is associated with the vigilantes or not, however, but as soon as we get updated on this matter, readers will be the first to know. 

Netizens have taken to calling the group: The Maverick. A fitting name for a group with no alignment. The word ‘Maverick’s’ etymology dates back to the 19th century, and it has evolved to become more of a term to refer to an “Unorthodox or Independent Mind.” Many netizens look at the Maverick as an unwavering hand of justice, they see the so-called Maverick as a way to channel society’s anger in a way that will make those in power listen, despite their _unorthodox_ ways of achieving this, they work independently from a higher force, they do as they wish, they are, by definition, delinquents. 

But with a new found name comes new names for the retired Underground lapdogs. 76-α turned into the Speedster who moves faster than light, 13-α became the Vendetta who stops at nothing to achieve her goal, and 14-α became the Reaper who continues to add onto his already long list of deaths.

Up to date, we have no official statement from either the Underground, the Seraph, or the newly formed Maverick on their activities.

What will become of this group? Will they continue to act in favor of the public? Will they continue to be active at all? We have yet to see. But surely, you can rely on THE NEO CITY TIMES to get your reliable and factual updates on these vigilantes. Until then, stay safe, Neo City, and be sure to lock your doors.


End file.
